All Sports

Ryan Pressly will suit up for the Chicago Cubs this year after spending seven seasons with the Houston Astros.

Per The Athletic's Chandler Rome, Pressly's exit came after a severed relationship between the relief pitcher and Astros general manager Dana Brown. Brown said that when Houston signed Josh Hader last offseason, which moved Pressly from his role as a closer, it "fractured" Pressly and Brown's relationship.

"Any time you take a major-league player out of a role where they feel comfortable, it's going to fracture your relationship some," Brown said.

Rome noted that Brown put Pressly on the trade block earlier this winter in part "because of their broken relationship."

According to Rome, Brown did not feel like trading Pressly was his only option, praising the veteran for his willingness to take on a role he didn't want.

"Pressly has been a true professional. He accepted the role even though he felt like he still could close. I know he's going to get the opportunity to close in Chicago," Brown said. "I felt like we had some extra relievers, and if this is an opportunity where we could free up some money and build for the future. I thought this was that opportunity."

Pressly fared well as Houston's closer from 2020 to 2023, recording 71 saves and keeping his ERA at 3.58 or lower during that stretch. He had a career-high 33 saves in 2022 and had one of the best ERAs of his career in 2021 at 2.25.

Pressly took on a setup role last season, recording four saves and a 3.49 ERA in 59 appearances.

In Hader's first season with the Astros in 2024, he had 34 saves and a 3.80 ERA across 71 appearances.

Houston signed Hader with the intention of bolstering the back of its bullpen, even if that meant pushing Pressly out of the role he wanted to be in most.

"You're moving a guy out of position who felt like he didn't deserve to lose his job because you acquired another elite closer like Hader," Brown said, per Rome. "The whole purpose in doing all that was to really lock down the back-end. I know in his heart of hearts he wanted to close. We've had conversations about it. I would definitely say things were different, but we kept it professional and we got through it."

While Pressly had to part ways with the team he helped lead to three World Series appearances and one championship, he'll almost certainly get the chance to return to a closer role in Chicago.

Arch Manning is gearing up for his first season as Texas' starting quarterback, and he already has high expectations.

The nephew of legendary quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning is the Heisman Trophy favorite at +700 odds, via DraftKings Sportsbook. Just behind him sits LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (+900), Penn State's Drew Allar (+1000) and Clemson's Cade Clubnik (+1400).

Heisman odds have arrived. Many thoughts. We'll break this down in detail in the weeks ahead, but there is value all over the place. pic.twitter.com/yVLjKqOlca

— Adam Kramer (@KegsnEggs) January 28, 2025

Despite Manning being one of the more inexperienced names among players with the best odds, it's not that surprising to see him top the list. The former No. 1 player in the Class of 2023 has garnered immense hype over the last few years and only added to it with some impressive showings in his limited action in 2024.

Manning appeared in 10 games for the Longhorns last season but only started two of those contests. He played most of Texas' game against UTSA in September, throwing for 223 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 53 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

The following week, he made his first start for Texas with usual start Quinn Ewers dealing with an injury. In that game against ULM, he threw for 258 yards, two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. His best game of the season came in his second start when he collected 325 passing yards and three total touchdowns against Mississippi State.

ARCH MANNING WITH AN ABSOLUTE DOT FOR THE TD 🔥 🎯

(via @TexasFootball)
pic.twitter.com/NsqFsYGTTK

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 28, 2024

Texas will now hand the reigns over to Manning with Ewers departing for the NFL draft, and all signs point to him having a big year.

Nussmeier debuted as the starter for LSU in 2024 and had a great season with 4,052 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His passing yards total was the second-best in the SEC and he was also tied for the second-most touchdowns.

Allar is also coming off a career season, picking up 3,327 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He added 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground as he led Penn State to the CFP semifinals.

Klubkik was one of the best quarterbacks in football last year, leading the ACC in passing touchdowns (39) and racking up the second-most passing yards (4,313).

While the players with the best odds are mostly quarterbacks, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith emerge as a favorite at some point this season. He's coming off a true freshman season in which he had 1,315 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns, and those numbers should only improve in 2025.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could target the Chicago Bulls' Lonzo Ball or Brooklyn Nets' Bill Simmons if either player is bought out this season, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Windhorst said Tuesday on ESPN Cleveland he believes the Cavaliers will be looking for "a perimeter guard who has size and can defend."

"Two guys who could be bought out, that fit that bill, are Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons," Windhorst said.

We are very carefully sharing this clip from @WindhorstESPN where he talks about the types of players the Cavs COULD be looking for in the buyout market....

"Two guys who could be bought out that fit that bill are Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons," - Windy. pic.twitter.com/2efZUgS0mp

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) January 28, 2025

Both Ball and Simmons are playing on expiring contracts, with Ball having exercised a $21.4 million player option and Simmons earning just over $40 million in the final year of his deal.

ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reported in December that the Nets had "zero interest" in buying out Simmons, who has taken on a larger role with the team following the trade of Dennis Schröder.

If the Nets do decide to part ways with Simmons this season, however, a buyout is likely their only option. The size of Simmons' contract and his 6.3 point-per-game output do not make him a viable trade candidate.

Ball is meanwhile averaging 7.0 points per game in his first campaign back after missing two and a half seasons with knee injuries.

After acquiring Josh Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason, the Bulls could consider moving on from Ball, especially given his expiring contract.

If possible, the Bulls would likely prefer to get assets back for Ball's expiring contract.

There is also the chance Ball plays out his contract in Chicago. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie recently reported that the Bulls "are thought to be very happy with Ball and love having him around the team for his presence in the locker room."

The trade deadline is Feb. 6, and the buyout deadline is March 1. Both Simmons and Ball could still be with their current teams by then. If either is bought out, however, the Cavs could consider trying to add either player on a potentially discounted salary.

A pair of MVP candidates won't be participating in this year's Pro Bowl for the AFC.

The NFL announced Tuesday that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson will be replacing Josh Allen in the annual All-Star showcase, while New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye will be taking the spot of Lamar Jackson.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix was reportedly extended an invite, per 9News' Mike Klis, but he opted to address a minor injury matter and expedite his recovery:

Bo Nix, a 4th alternate AFC Pro Bowl QB, was unable to accept invitation to participate in Pro Bowl Games because of previously scheduled, routine and minor postseason cleanup procedure. Nix eager to get procedure done so he can get to work on offseason training. #9sports https://t.co/TlKnxPWsTA

— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) January 28, 2025

Allen previously indicated that a wrist injury might keep him from participating in this year's Pro Bowl.

"I don't know," he told reporters Monday. "I got a little banged-up hand right now—a wrist. So, I got to talk with docs right now and figure it out. But we'll see."

He added that the injury occurred during the AFC Championship Game.

"It's brand new," he said. "It was just right at the goal line. The two-point play before halftime got crunched up a little bit. I was able to finish the game with just some swelling and stuff today."

His replacement, Wilson, threw for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions across 11 games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, completing 63.7 percent of his passes while taking 33 sacks. He was just 6-6 as the starter (regular season and playoffs), however, as the Steelers lost five straight games to close the 2024 campaign, including a Wild Card matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

Baltimore's starting quarterback, Jackson, is the presumptive favorite to win MVP but declined his Pro Bowl invitation. He's generally done so in his career, as he's been voted into the All-Star showcase four times but only participated in 2019.

He'll be replaced by Maye, who had a promising rookie season for the Patriots, throwing for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions across 13 games. He also rushed for 421 yards and two scores, and while he was just 3-9 as New England's starter, he showed the sort of upside that a team is looking for in its young franchise quarterback.

The Connecticut Sun are finalizing a sign-and-trade to acquire star forward Alyssa Thomas from the Phoenix Mercury, ESPN's Alexa Philippou reported Tuesday.

Breaking: Mercury are acquiring Alyssa Thomas from the Sun, per @alexaphilippou

The 5x All-Star is heading to the Desert 👏 pic.twitter.com/W1hMtsObtf

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 28, 2025

Philippou reported the full return for the Sun, including the No. 12 pick in the draft:

Can confirm Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 overall pick are headed to Connecticut in return for Alyssa Thomas. Ty Harris is also headed to Phoenix. @howardmegdal first.

Note this trade can't be executed til deals can be signed on Feb. 1https://t.co/OYtjq21x9N

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) January 28, 2025

The transaction cannot be finalized until Feb. 1, per Philippou.

The Sun had exclusive negotiating rights with Thomas after tagging her with a core designation to stop her hitting unrestricted free agency this offseason.

Thomas, who has finished the last three seasons as an All-Star and MVP finalist, is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. She helped the Sun reach the WNBA Finals in 2019 and 2022.

The five-time All-Star expressed dissatisfaction with the Sun during the 2024 postseason. The team prepared for their first-round matchup with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on a half-court shared with a community center event, a setup Thomas described to The Next Hoops' Noa Dalzell as "the ultimate disrespect."

"It's normal at this point. I mean, Mohegan has to do better," Thomas told Dalzell. "We're [a] professional team. We're competing for playoffs... We need more, we need better to compete at the highest level."

That wasn't the only time Thomas has appeared unhappy with the standards set by the Sun organization. She said after winning a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Team USA that the experience had showed her the Sun were "super behind" in terms of practice facilities (h/t NBC Sports Boston's Justin Leger.)

The Mercury, meanwhile, opened a $100 million practice facility ahead of the 2024 WNBA season. Access to those facilities might have encouraged Thomas, who had to acquiesce to any potential sign-and-trade, to agree to the move to Phoenix.

Thomas heading to Mercury could help convince her partner and former Sun teammate DeWanna Bonner to sign in Phoenix as well. Bonner hit unrestricted free agency after the 2024 season.

The departure of Thomas and the potential exit of Bonner mark the end of an era for the Sun, who have reached the semifinal in five straight seasons with the duo on the team.

The Mercury roster is also in flux with Brittney Griner hitting free agency and Diana Taurasi potentially retiring. Should Griner and Taurasi both leave, the Mercury could theoretically build around a new core of Thomas and potentially Bonner.

Natasha Cloud will at least bring loads of experience to the roster as a nine-year veteran who won the 2019 title with the Washington Mystics. She has also been named to the All-Defensive team three times in her career.

Rebecca Allen could also provide depth after averaging 7.4 points per game last season.

The news marks the second blockbuster WNBA trade reported by Philippou this week, following the news of a three-team trade that sent Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.

The Toronto Raptors have "emerged as a team to watch" regarding New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram as the Feb. 6 trade deadline looms.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the latest in his Stein Line newsletter.

"While the Heat have undoubtedly intensified their efforts to bring an end to the contentious Butler saga by finding a deal before the Feb. 6 trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET, I'm told Toronto has emerged as a team to watch when it comes to Ingram," Stein wrote.

Ingram has averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 18 games. He has been out since Dec. 7 after suffering a significant low left ankle sprain against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 27-year-old Ingram is a name to watch before the trade deadline for a few reasons.

First, he's an impending free agent, and he and the Pels were unable to come to terms on a contract extension in talks last summer, per ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Second, this has been a nightmarish season for the 12-35 Pels, who are second-last in the Western Conference thanks largely to a litany of injuries throughout the roster. It's fair to wonder about the team's outlook given its significant struggles, and the Pels are perhaps best-served trading Ingram, acquiring assets and rebuilding for future seasons.

Third, Ingram is a productive player when healthy, averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for New Orleans since 2019.

Now Toronto is a struggling and rebuilding team itself, a 14-32 team mixed with young and exciting talents to build around and some veterans. Stein gave some more insight on the Raptors' approach right now.

"Word is that Toronto is involved in a number of conversations as the trade deadline approaches, fully immersed in the search for players and opportunities that can position the franchise to rediscover relevancy while assessing all of their options with the trade-friendly contracts possessed by Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, Chris Boucher and Davion Mitchell," Stein wrote.

Right now, Toronto is pretty far from being a playoff team, let alone a championship contender, sitting five-and-a-half games behind the Chicago Bulls for the last play-in spot. The Raptors likely need some lottery luck to hit big on new talents in the coming years, but adding a player like Ingram would certainly make them more competitive as well.

For now, Ingram remains a Pelican, and the Raptors have been quiet on the trade front. Both things can change soon enough, though, with the trade deadline now nine days away.

Former UCLA softball star Maya Brady is joining the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, the shortstop has committed to the league ahead of the inaugural draft on Wednesday.

Brady is the niece to two members of Boston sports royalty. Her most famous relative is Tom Brady. She's also the niece of former Red Sox star Kevin Youkilis, in addition to being the daughter of former Fresno State All-American pitcher Maureen Brady.

The 23-year-old Maya Brady has carved out her own path to stardom in the sports world. She was a three-time All-American first-team selection and won the Pac-12 Player of the Year award in each of her final two seasons.

Brady ranks second in UCLA history in home runs (71), RBI (246), total bases (550) and slugging percentage (.757).

Athletes Unlimited was founded in 2020 with competitions in basketball, volleyball and lacrosse when it launched. Lacrosse has since been dropped from the rotation, while softball was announced in June 2024 with a start date of 2025.

Former Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng will serve as a senior advisor for the league. She is helping to oversee the development of the league going into its debut season.

The league will include four teams playing a 30-game schedule. Games will be played in six to eight cities around the country, including Chicago, this season before adopting a fixed-city format in 2026.

Brady becomes the 43rd player to commit to the softball league. She joins other recent college standouts including former UCLA teammates Bubba Nickels and Delanie Wisz, Jocelyn Alo and Taylor McQuillin.

The four teams—Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts—will each have 16 players. The first 12 players on each team will be determined via draft, then they can sign one free agent and add three players from the college class of 2025.

Brian Belichick won't be joining Mike Vrabel's coaching staff with the New England Patriots.

The longtime coach for the Patriots—who has been with the team since 2016 and most recently served a five-year stint as the safeties coach—will be departing the organization this offseason, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.

Belichick, the son of former Patriots head coach and current North Carolina head honcho Bill Belichick, started his New England tenure as a scouting assistant before getting promoted to coaching assistant (2017-19). He then moved to safeties coach and was retained under Jerod Mayo when his father departed the organization after the 2023 season.

Reiss wrote that "Devin McCourty, among others, have spoken highly of his [Brian Belichick's] coaching acumen."

It is unclear if Brian Belichick will follow his father and brother Steve Belichick to North Carolina. Steve Belichick is serving as a Tar Heels' assistant coach after being the defensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies last season.

Vrabel, meanwhile, is reworking New England's staff and bringing aboard a number of men from his time coaching the Tennessee Titans in Terrell Williams (who will serve as defensive coordinator, Tony Dews (running backs), Clinton McMillan, Jason Houghtaling and Zak Kuhr.

He also hired Josh McDaniels to run the offense and is keeping special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer and special teams assistant Tom Quinn from Mayo's former staff. Doug Marrone, Thomas Brown and Ashton Grant (quarterbacks) have also reportedly been added to the offensive staff under McDaniels.

The Patriots find themselves in a complete rebuild after three straight losing seasons and two conesecutive campaigns with just four wins. But the retooling efforts have solid anchors in place after a promising rookie season from quarterback Drake Maye and the hire of the experienced and well-respected Vrabel.

Sunday's AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills drew huge ratings for the NFL and CBS.

According to Puck's John Ourand, the game averaged 57.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched AFC Championship Game since at least 1988.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs outlasted quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, winning the game 32-29 to advance to a third consecutive Super Bowl.

Ourand noted that Chiefs vs. Bills was also the most-watched non-Super Bowl game since the Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints NFC Championship Game during the 2009 season.

Additionally, this year's AFC Championship Game viewership was up 4 percent from last year's game between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.

Sunday marked the fourth time that Mahomes' Chiefs and Allen's Bills have met in the playoffs and the second time they clashed in the AFC Championship Game.

Kansas City won each of the first three matchups, although the Bills have won four of the past five regular-season meetings with the Chiefs.

Buffalo took a 22-21 lead late in the third quarter of Sunday's game when running back James Cook scored a one-yard rushing touchdown.

The Buffalo defense forced a Kansas City three-and-out on the next drive, giving the Bills' offense a chance to extend the lead.

However, the Chiefs made a controversial fourth-down stop at their own 41-yard line, as Allen was ruled short of the line to gain on a quarterback sneak.

The Chiefs' defense stops them on fourth down!

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/VwGmEZ3IrW

— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025

KC went ahead by seven on a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Mahomes, and Buffalo answered with a four-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Curtis Samuel with 6:15 left in regulation.

The Chiefs left the door open by settling for a field goal on the next drive, but Buffalo's offense stalled out at its own 47-yard line when Allen's throw on fourth-and-5 went off the arms of a diving Dalton Kincaid and hit the ground.

The Chiefs make the stop on fourth down!

📺: #BUFvsKC on CBS
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus and Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/s4rXNURB3z

— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2025

Kansas City put the game away on the next drive by picking up a pair of first downs and forcing the Bills to exhaust their timeouts.

The Chiefs, who will face the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, are the first team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl on the heels of winning two in a row.

If they can beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, the Chiefs will be the first three-peat Super Bowl champions of all time.

The NBA announced the rescheduling of two previously postponed games as well as the rescheduling of seven other games on Tuesday.

The Los Angeles Lakers' home game against the San Antonio Spurs was rescheduled for March 17 amid the ongoing Los Angeles wildfires, while the New Orleans Pelicans' matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks that was postponed due to a snowstorm will now be played on April 6.

To accommodate various changes, the Golden State Warriors had a pair of games in March rescheduled.

The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/OZ2y01xoUw

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 28, 2025

Some other games were moved to make way for the postponed games. For example, the Orlando Magic were supposed to visit New Orleans on April 6. With that date now serving as the spot for the Bucks at Pels matchup, Orlando will now play in New Orleans on March 13.

Other games were moved to avoid arduous stretches. For example, the Lakers would have had to play four home games in four nights (March 16-19) if not for the team's March 18 game against Milwaukee being moved to March 20. Four games in five nights is still tough, but it's obviously more palatable than four in four.

The Spurs at Lakers matchup on March 17, in particular, could be a pivotal late-season game with San Antonio fighting to make the playoffs (currently 12th in the West) and the Lakers looking to remain top six and avoid the play-in (currently fifth).